Latin name

Latin muscle parts

Group

Branchial arch muscle – fourth arch (Pharyngeal muscle)

Etymology

The English equivalent for this muscle name is the upper muscle that draws the cleft or gulley together. The word constrictor comes from the Latin terms con meaning “together” and the verb stringere meaning “to bind.”The word pharynx, what is referred to as the throat, arises from the Greek pharangos meaning “cleft, gulley, or ravine.”The Latin word superior comes from the Latin superus meaning “upper.”

Origin

Hamulus of the pterygoid process of the sphenoid bone; pterygomandibular raphe; posterior aspect of the mylohyoid line of the mandible; tongue

Insertion

Pharyngeal tubercle of the occipital bone; median raphe of the pharynx

Action

Produce both sphincteric and peristaltic actions during swallowing.

Nerve supply

Vagus nerve (Cranial nerve X)

Blood supply

The muscle receives blood from the pharyngeal branches of the ascending pharyngeal artery. It also is supplied by the ascending palatine artery, a cervical branch of the facial artery.